In-demand Nabbout toasts 'immense' Newcastle Jets fans

Andrew Nabbout hailed Newcastle Jets' swelling supporter base but admitted he was "not sure" if he had played his last game at McDonald Jones Stadium.

Nabbout, who scored a stunning 56th-minute winner in the gripping 2-1 victory over Sydney FC on Saturday, is reportedly attracting interest from Japan.

The 25-year-old was clearly unaffected by the attention as his long-range effort secured the 10-man hosts a dramatic three points and earned him a standing ovation from the 18,156-strong crowd.

"It's interest, like there has been all year," Nabbout told Fox Sports of the speculation.

"I just wanted to give the fans the recognition they deserve because they pushed us through that at the end.

"They were immense for us, they were our 12th man. We're very proud of them, we're very proud of the boys.

"It feels really good to get a goal but at the end of the day, to do that in front of these fans, is all the reward for us."

Dimitri Petratos opened the scoring with a first-half penalty.

Jets boss Ernie Merrick echoed his attacker's sentiments.

"It was the best atmosphere I've witnessed at the ground as coach of Newcastle," Merrick said.

"The crowd were tremendous, they played a role in getting us over the line.

"Overall I think a good night was had by all and to walk away with three points is a bit special tonight."

Merrick also played down the initial fears over the seriousness of Nigel Boogaard's injury, revealing the defender felt he had jarred rather than hyperextended his knee in a concerning second-half incident.